Changyong Shin, a 24-year-old pianist from South Korea, won first prize in the Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition, which wrapped up Saturday night in Salt Lake City’s Abravanel Hall.
His prize includes $50,000, a commemorative gold medal, concert engagements with the Utah Symphony and in New York City, and a recording engagement.
Aristo Sham, 22, of Hong Kong, won the silver medal and $25,000. He also will perform with the Utah Symphony on a future season. Sergey Belyavskiy, 24, of Russia, won the bronze medal and $15,000. The nine other semifinalists received $1,500 each.
Shin was voted the Bachauer champion by a nine-member international jury after three rounds of competition that began June 11 and initially included 40 pianists ages 19-32, representing 17 countries. For the final round, each of the three finalists performed two concertos with the Utah Symphony over two nights.
It was the 17th edition of the now-quadrennial competition, which started in 1976 and is named for a prominent Greek pianist who had a long-running association with the Utah Symphony.
